First Night
by DunktheLunk
Summary: After the Long Night came a spring, summer, and autumn of peace, with no sign of the Others. Now the Nights Watch faces its first winter atop the Wall, waiting to see if the threat is truly over.


**A/N: This is my first Song of Ice and Fire fanfic, so any ideas/pointers will be greatly appreciated. Also, I appreciate constructive criticism, not just blatant praise.**

(A Song of Ice and Fire belongs to George R. R. Martin)

Torrhen stood on the watch platform, feeling the cold wind blowing through his black hair. Beside him, the fire flickered, casting an odd shadow across the signal horn. Looking out across the Haunted Forest, he could just make out the mountains in the distance, illuminated by the pale light of a full moon. The view from the top of the Wall was usually spectacular, but tonight he couldn't enjoy it. A raven had arrived at Castle Black that morning. A white raven. The Citadel had declared Autumn over, and Winter had returned to Westeros.

He had felt the dread running through the men, especially the older ones, as the Lord Commander read the message to the garrison. The last winter had lasted an entire generation, and had brought something far worse than the cold. The Others had marched out of the North, bringing their undead armies with them. They nearly destroyed the world, until the first men of the Night's Watch took up arms and drove them back. The Wall was raised soon after, and now seven thousand men stood atop it cloaked in black, waiting for the Others to return.

A crash shook him from his thoughts, and Torrhen turned to find a young man picking himself up, woefully underdressed for the cold.

"First Ranger Stark?" The man asked, walking towards him.

"Yes." Torrhen replied "Who are you supposed to be?"

"James Lakewood." The man replied. "I'm from House Lakewood in the Westerlands."

"Obviously." Torrhen replied, noting his lack of wool clothes. He would freeze to death before nightfall. "What are you doing up here?"

"Lord Commander Vance sent me to find you." James replied "He said you'd be up here."

Torrhen sighed. As First Ranger, he was usually responsible for the orientation of new recruits. But Commander Vance, or Ronn, as Torrhen called him, knew that the time Torrhen spent on watch was his quiet time. Between training the recruits and sending out his Rangers, Torrhen had almost no personal time while he was in Castle Black, so he always pulled watch alone. It gave him time to think, and just to be alone for a few hours.

"Alright." Torrhen said finally. "Head back down and find Maester Pines. He'll get you some warmer clothes. Once you have them, come find me again."

He didn't know how much time had gone by before James returned. He was watching two bucks fight near the edge of the woods when the man came stumbling around the corner again.

"You're going to end up falling off the edge before you even take your vows." Torrhen said.

"I'm sorry." James replied. "I'm just not used to the ice."

"You will be." Torrhen said. "Come on up here and we'll get started."

James climbed onto the raised platform next to Torrhen, seemingly relieved to be near a fire.

"So, as you've already discovered, I'm First Ranger Stark." Torrhen said "I'll be training you in combat and other skills until you take your vows. Since we're up here already, let's go over our most basic function, watch duty."

James nodded, still shivering but less than he had been.

"Every watch is done in pairs." Torrhen said. "You'll get a watch partner when you're assigned a position. Basically, you stand up here freezing your ass off and watch for things approaching the Wall."

"What do we do if we see something?" James asked

"That's where this comes in." Torrhen said, pointing toward the signal horn. "One long blast for a returning Ranger, two long blasts for a Wildling attack, and three long blasts if you spot an Other."

"How will we be able to tell what they are way up here?" James asked.

"You'll learn over time." Torrhen replied.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the two bucks that had been fighting breaks apart and run in separate directions. From down the Wall a little ways came a horn blast. Torrhen looked out and saw a black cloaked figure riding fast out of the forest.

"Is that a Ranger?" James asked.

"Yes." Torrhen replied as he turned and stepped down off the platform to grab more wood for the fire.

"And what are those following him?" James asked.

"What are you…" Torrhen began as the other signal horn sounded again.

A second blast made his stomach turn as he ran to the edge of the wall.

A third blast was given as Torrhen looked down on three pale figures on horseback, closing in on the lone Ranger.


End file.
